Revell - Maquis Fighter

[Igard]

Thank you gents. I've got a lot of that clear plastic collected now so might as well use some of it.

 

[Grendels]

Looks like you got it covered before I could get to it! Keep us updated....

 

[Igard]

New window looks much better. Note: I got rid of that little bit of glue in the bottom left corner.

Cutting out these engine parts. As you can see I managed to twist the plastic a bit. This small area is much thinner than the rest of the model. I was using a thick hobby knife to cut (not an exacto, it's too fragile). After this, I realised that using the scriber was a much better way of cutting through.

I used a flat blade for cutting through these parts. Very easy, but as you can see I missed and nearly cut the thing in 2.

Here are all the engine parts cut out and cleaned up with a combination of sanding, plastic cement and more sanding.

Now, these little parts here. I realised that I can't mask this after construction, so I primed them, then I stuck on the clear plastic to the back. Once construction is done, I'll simply hand paint this. I think it makes sense. I hope it works. :-\

More soon....

 

[punkpigpen]

those parts are looking super crisp!

 

[Grendels]

When I first got this, I took a look at it and determined what it would take to light it up. Quite a bit of work actually. The kit was not designed for lighting, so lots of cutting and shaping.

Good work so far!!

 

[Solander]

Agreed with Grendels, to me this always seemed to be the most problematic part with this kit.
But I think, You've done it great with all those surgical cutting.

 

[Igard]

Thanks guys.

Also note that these parts don't actually fit inside the holes I cut in the main hull. I'll have to use magic sculp to fit them in

I've got a good idea of what I'm doing with pretty much all the lights. Haven't decided on doing a blinder curcuit yet.

The main thing I'm worried about is masking properly for painting. I think I've got it covered, but can't be certain. Only trial and error will tell.

 

[Quaralane]

Nice work cutting all of that out, Igard

 

[Igard]

Thanks Quaralane.

Ok, bit of experimentation now. I don't know if this is a good idea or not.

Here's my rather rudimentary battery cover. I've cut out a large section from the bottom half and attached some styrene in various places to hold it in place.

Here's the inside.

From the outside, you can see that I've put a little 'handle' on it. That just makes it so that I can move the cover into position. Once in position, the cover doesn't have any movement, unless I hit it. I'll put some walls around it to further hold it in place after I've wired up the lights.

It might not look great, but I'm going to try to manage the light so that there isn't any leak out of these seams/gaps.

Attached the battery pack to the upper half of the hull. Should be pretty easy to change batteries.

 

[punkpigpen]

very crafty battery hatch! i actually never tried powering with batteries. i just use a quick connect a the near end of the wire and use a wall plug.

 

[Igard]

Cheers P! That's actually what my brother advised me to do at first.

Not sure why I went with batteries for my models so far. I think they'll good when they're all lined up next to each other on my shelf.

 

[Grendels]

very crafty battery hatch! i actually never tried powering with batteries. i just use a quick connect a the near end of the wire and use a wall plug.

This is what I will do for models with a lot of lights, but for the smaller ones, I do have batteries. But, the batteries are in the base of the model, not the model itself. I still use that quick connect.

 

[punkpigpen]

mine are all plugged into one powerstrip plugged into a socke that luckily is linked to the lightswitch on the wall. at the end of the day i just flip the lightswitch. so they are on all day.

 

[Quaralane]

Excellent work on that battery hatch. If not for the handle, it looks like it belongs there

 

[Igard]

Thanks Q. I might add a couple of greebles to the handle to make it look better, but it's an unfortunate necessity to have it there.

Forgot to upload the last pic. Not too much to comment on, just so you can see it lines up pretty well.

 

[Quaralane]

--nods--
Lines up quite nicely

 

[fumblethumbs]

Lookin' really great there Igard!

 

[ModelMakerMike]

Nicely done, Igard.

 

[Grendels]

Looks good, are you sure you are new to building models?

 

[Igard]

Thanks all. Was a bit worried you guys might tell me this was leading to disaster!

Grendels, indeed that is very complimentary. This is only the 4th model of my adult life. I'm 30 now. The last model I built in my youth was at about 13 or 14. I think it was the Defiant that was my last build, which as you saw, I was able to refurbish.

However, I think I can still count the number of models I've done in my lifetime on only 2 hands. And I think I only ever painted 1 of them in my youth. I really wasn't that bothered back then. I did play with GW miniatures, but after 1 attempt at painting, decided it wasn't for me. Sold all my GW stuff long ago.

I'll go through my parent's attic and see if I can find some more of my old models. I already know of one particular kit I've got that's quite rare. Do you want to know what it is, or shall I surprise you all?